Resources you need for the challenges ahead.

• Author: Lanter, Amy
• Position: IN FOCUS: A Message from the Editor

Our goal with Information Management (IM) is to provide useful resources to help you do your job as a records and information management professional (RIM). This issue of IM includes timely information about using social media and technology tools to address some of your greatest challenges.

James Santangelo provides methods an organization can use to make current and ongoing disposition decisions confidently. In his article, "Rise of the Machines: The Role of Text Analytics in Record Classification and Disposition," you will learn how combining an appropriate information management strategy with developments in text analytics search technology can help solve the problem of large, unmanaged data repositories that increase an organization's costs and legal exposure.

"Equipping Your Organization for the Social Networking Game" by Nancy Dupre Barnes, Ph.D., and Frederick R. Barnes, J.D., arms you with the information you need to communicate effectively with cohorts in the marketing, human resources, legal, and information technology departments. The acceptance of social networking sites is changing the way individuals and organizations relate within a business context, and that means the RIM professional's skill sets must evolve to deal with its implications.

In a classic case of man versus machine, the unified approach to managing information depends on human judgment and discipline, while the federated approach depends more on computer software and hardware. Preston W. Shimer, FAI, discusses which one of these approaches has the best track record for managing information in his article, "Unified vs. Federated. Which Has the Proven Track Record for Managing Information?"

Bobby Balachandran explains why using automation tools to create a data map is the most effective way to keep it evergreen in "Five Steps to Compliance: Building an Automated Data Map." With the...